Meuse Details

Meuse is a department of France located in Lorraine and bordering Belgium. The region is named after the Meuse River, which flows through France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Meuse is a glorious location for tourists to get off the beaten track and enjoy horse riding, hiking and visiting historical sites. The departments biggest city is Verdun, which was founded by the Gauls and was the center of the European slave and eunuch trade in the 9th century. The capital of the department is the Bar-le-Duc, which is famous for being the region of art and history. The quarter of the town known as Ville Haute has 15th, 16th and 17th century houses, a chateau of the former Dukes of Bar, the old clock tower and a college dating from the 16th century.Meuse was the location of some of the fiercest fighting of World War I. There are several World War I cemeteries in the department such as the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial, which is the final resting place of over 14,000 American soldiers. Other points of interest in the department include: the Basilica of Avioth an ornate Gothic cathedral built between 1250 and 1400; the remains of the Commercy Castle built by Germain Boffrand in the 18th century; the fortified churches of Sepvigny; Marville a charming medieval town in the north of the department with architecture from the Spanish occupation of the area.